Reading Like a Critic
Bridging Books and Readers with Beejay Silcox
Last Saturday, MARION hosted Beejay Silcox and a room full of passionate readers and writers for a workshop exploring what it means to read like a critic.
One of Australia’s few full time book critics, Beejay’s work appears in high-profile publications across three continents, and is celebrated for its resolute honesty. She has been described as “the most significant new Australian critic in decades”.
In this workshop, Beejay posed the important question: how might criticism resist intellectual gatekeeping and instead serve to unlock texts for potential audiences?
After bonding over their love of books, attendees were prompted to consider the trends in their reading habits and what these might say about the type of criticism they have to offer.
The answer to everyone’s first question, ‘what is the book about?’ is a deceptively complex one. With a sharp critical mind and a wealth of professional insight, Beejay led discussions that moved beyond plot to consider the questions, conversations and ultimately the feelings a story might present us with.
The group then turned these ideas towards a deep dive into Rhett Davis’ 2025 novel Arborescence. In a book about humans turning into trees, we found the routes to a myriad of meanings and turned ancient questions towards contemporary challenges.
All opinions, perspectives and tastes were given equal weight, which made the workshop a beautiful demonstration of Beejay Silcox’s belief that one review can never be enough, we need many critical minds to join the public conversation.
Thanks to all attendees for sharing your insights, and a special thank you to Beejay Silcox for expertly guiding us through a day of riveting book talk.
